A new medal from Israel, designed by Yaacov Agam, an innovative Israeli-born artist, features a central holographic glass disk, which bears the inscription: “And there was light,” in English on one side and Hebrew on the other. This medal, commissioned by the Israel Government Coins and Medals Corporation, appears to be the first use of holography on a government issued coin or medal. When held to the light, the holographic disk reveals a three-dimensional Star of David, which Agam noted in an interview with The New York Times, is intended to symbolize “the Jewish people’s unique role in the world — to raise sparks and make them holy — to bring the light out from its hidden place.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.